Improvement in hand corn-planters



1. n. TRACY &1. F. PLATT.

Patented Dec. 16,1873.

6' gaga, By

INVENTORS ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JOHN D. TRACY AND JAMES F. BLATT, OF STERLING, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN HAND CORN-PLANTERS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent N o. 145,698, dated December 16, 1873; application filed July 19, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN D. TRACY and JAMES F. PLATT, of Sterling, in the county Aof Whitesides and State of Illinois, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Hand Corn-Planters; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description-of the construction and operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings making a part of this specication, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is a representation of our invention in longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 is a front view of the same.

This invention has relation to hand cornplanters; and consists in an inclined scattering-board arranged in the spout, in combination with a pivoted board carrying a springplate, and with a seed-cell formed in the drop per-slide and made adjustable for differentsized charges.

The following is a description of our improvement:

In the annexed drawing, A represents the seed-box, having for its top a removable cover, which is held in p lace by a pin, a', andhaving for its bottom a channel, B, formed by two inclined sides, b b, which channel terminates at its lower end in a space filled by a brush, c. Below the seed-box is the spout B', through which the seed falls after leaving the box A, which spout is formed by two downwardlytapered sides, a guide, C, and a pivoted dropper. The guide C is an offset, against which the lower portion of the plunger G slides, and against which two shoulders, nu, on this plunger strike when fully depressed. The dropper consists of a board, E, h. ving a springplate, D, secured to its lower end, which board is pivoted to the tapered sides of the spout at t', and held by agremovable cross-bar, t', so that the lower end of the spring-plate D is pressed against the plunger G, as shown in Fig. l.

By removing the bar i', the dropper can be turned up on its pivots and access obtained to the interior of the spout for cleaning it out. This feature of our invention is important, for

the reason that without it the spout would be soon clogged with straws and other foreign matters, which would prevent the perfect operation of the planter. 4

The plunger G is allowed to receive free endwise play, and is guided by the front side O of the spout and by two clasps, h h, and on the upper end of this plunger is a handle, II, fixed at right angles tol it. On the inner side of plunger G a plate, G', is permanently secured, and so arranged that, when this plunger is drawn up to flll a seed-cell, c, from the box A, the upper end or shoulder z will strike the cover a, and thus act as a stop to limit the upward movement of the plunger. The lower end of the plate G' has an oblong slot through it, terminating in a square upper end, and into this slot an adjustable piece, g, is applied, ter.

minating in a beveled surface at its upper end, and forming the seed-cell e, which can be enlarged or reduced in size by loosening the setscrew g' and adjusting the said piece g. This seed-cell is arranged in line with the brush c, so that, in planting, this brush will clear away from the cell any superliuity of seed and prevent them from being broken.

The box A being supplied with corn, the operation is as follows: The plunger is moved up and down once, to deliver a charge into the spout. The lower end f of the planter is then.

pressed into the soil, and at the same time the plunger is depressed, which forces the charge out beneath the spring-plate D and into the soil. The planter is then lifted, which brings the lower end of the plunger within the spout and allows the spring-plate D to close the lower end thereof, at the same time bringing the seed-cell c within the seed-box to be recharged, and allowing the grains which had been previously discharged into the spout to fall below the plunger.

It will be seen, by reference to Fig. l, that an inclined board, D', is secured in the spout, and in such relation to the point of discharge from the box A that the seed will be directed against the pivoted board E and properly scattered in the spout before being discharged therefrom.

Having described our invention, we claiml. The scatterer D', arranged as described,

in combination with the pvoted dropper E hereunto subscribed ournzunesin the presence D and a. plunger, G, hztvlng a seed-cell 1n '1t7 of two Witnesses. as set forth.

JOHN D. TRACY. 2. The double-lnolmed channel b b b at the bottom of the seed-boX A, combined with the JAMES F' LATT brush c and the seed-cell e, formed as de- Witnesses: scribed. J. F. BEDNAR,

In testimonythat We claim the above we have W. SCOTT WARD. 

